


These Memories That Haunt Me

by EchoShimmer



Series: Wumptober 2020 [12]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Gen, Hotels, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Phobias, Sad Tim Drake, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27087595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoShimmer/pseuds/EchoShimmer
Summary: Tim doesn't like staying in hotels.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne
Series: Wumptober 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948924
Comments: 16
Kudos: 259





	These Memories That Haunt Me

**Author's Note:**

> This was written at the request of [Mizuphae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mizuphae)! I am always down for more of Bruce comforting his kiddos :)

Look, Tim just doesn’t like staying in hotels.

It’s not that weird of a thing, okay? He just prefers to sleep on an actual bed in a normal bedroom, either in his apartment or the Manor or Titan’s Tower depending on the day. He wouldn’t be able to relax in a hotel room, which would entirely defeat the purpose of having one, so why bother dealing with it. 

(He doesn’t acknowledge the thought in the back of his mind, the memory of a time when he was Robin and hotels weren’t as big of a deal. He doesn’t acknowledge the reason why that opinion changed. Because doing so would mean thinking about-)

Tim dealt with it. He made plans and contingencies. He kept the number of out of town trips he had to make for WE to an absolute minimum, sending someone else in his place or planning in a way that he could avoid having to stay overnight whenever possible. When it was unavoidable, he found ways around it, finding a friend to crash with, or a nearby Airbnb, or when really desperate renting out an entire apartment. He’d had to pay for the full three months of the contract but it was worth it. Any other employees forced to travel to that office after Tim could stay there for free. Totally a smart investment.

So Tim managed to entirely avoid staying in a hotel. Until now.

The annual Wayne Enterprises Tech Conference was once again upon them, and this year Bruce and Tim had both been tapped to attend. Why they  _ both  _ had to be flown out to California for the week Tim had no idea, but here they were getting off the plane and into the car already idling on the tarmac.

If Tim was being honest, there were a lot of parts to this trip that he was looking forward to. Having a week off from work and patrol. Getting to go to the Conference as a speaker and a participant. 

Getting to spend the entire week just Bruce and him was by far the best part. It had been so long since the two of them had found the time in their equally busy schedules to just relax and catch up together like this. The conversation that continued throughout the journey was pleasant and engaging enough that Tim didn’t have the change to think about where they were heading until their driver was pulling up at the curb outside the hotel’s main entrance.

Tim swallowed back the surging, unfounded anxiety as Bruce waved off the valet’s and handed Tim his single suitcase (their professional clothing having been shipped separately and not set to arrive for another hour or two). Tim managed to hang on to that manufactured calm through check in down in the lobby, through the elevator ride up to the top floor.

It wasn’t until Bruce was unlocking their door that Tim’s breath caught in his throat. The memories of the worst months of Tim’s life threatened to resurface, and Tim was finally forced to admit to himself at least that he might have seriously overestimated his ability to handle this.

But then Bruce had turned around, when Tim froze in the hallway, and asked if he was okay. Bruce was here, looking at Tim with that badly hidden concerned expression that he got when he didn’t know what was wrong with one of his kids but wanted to help. And that, Bruce being here with him, was enough for Tim to re-center, regather his thoughts, shove the memories back into the locked box they had slipped from, and Tim had smiled.

“I’m fine Bruce. I just remembered that I forgot to email Tam a couple of documents that she’ll probably need for this week. No big deal.”

Bruce hadn’t looked entirely convinced by the explanation, but he dropped it. Tim walked through the threshold of the door and closed it softly behind them.

It was a rather nice room, all things considered. Large and comfortably furnished without being excessive. Both Bruce and Tim had agreed to keep things as toned down as a billionaire and his seventeen year old CEO son could reasonably manage without attracting attention. Neither of them sought out extravagance for the sake of showing off. So it was a higher end room, with two beds and a comfortable couch by the TV and a rather nice kitchen set up in one corner. Everything they might need without the extravagance of a penthouse suite. 

The two men settled in quickly, Bruce dealing with their suitcases while Tim settled on the couch with his laptop and connected to the internet. After a few minutes Bruce settled down beside Tim and flicked on the TV, the two of them comfortably coexisting as Bruce scanned through the available channels while Tim worked his way through some last minute emails. 

Tim’s anxiety was still there, lingering in the back of his mind, but having Bruce as a solid figure beside him was grounding in a way that nothing else would have been. Tim could manage. He anchored himself into the gentle pattern of Bruce’s breathing and, once the emails were finished and Tim had scooted himself over to lean into his father’s side, his warmth and strength. Nothing could touch him here.

Around an hour later, after the two of them had settled in to watch some popular action movie that neither of them had previously had the time to watch, Bruce’s phone chimed with the message that the rest of their bags had arrived. Bruce had easily paused the movie, assured Tim that he could retrieve the luggage on his own, and had strolled out of the room. 

Tim was left in the sudden silence, and his skin crawled with it. Within minutes he was up and pacing, trying to push back the prickling feeling in his limbs. It was just so quiet, all the sudden. The room was practically soundproof, both from the street outside and the hall or neighboring rooms. The air conditioner had shut off a few minutes prior, leaving only silence. It was so quiet in here, in this small hotel room. Tim couldn’t hear anything.  _ Tim couldn’t hear her breathing- _

Tim wasn’t fully conscious of when the back of his calves had hit the bed, just barely aware that all the sudden he was sitting on top of the mattress, hands fisted painfully tight into the bedspread. Tim’s vision was blurring, breathing rough. Pain ran through his torso, the warmth soaking through the sloppily applied bandage. Over Tim’s rasping, there were no sounds in the room. Tim couldn’t hear her breathing, oh god was Pru breathing, he can’t-

Suddenly, Tim was blinking and Bruce was there, face concerned and slightly pale as he kneeled in front of Tim’s shaking body, hand reaching out to lightly, cautiously brushing against Tim’s thigh.

“Tim, sweetheart, breathe. What’s wrong? Tell me what you need, Timmy.”

“I,” Tim managed to choke out, “I can’t. The room- just like when- I can’t-  _ Bruce _ .”

“Okay,” Bruce said quickly. “Okay, so we’re going to move somewhere else, alright? Can I pick you up?”

Bruce apparently took Tim’s slight wheeze as agreement, because suddenly Tim’s hands were being gently but unrelentingly tugged free from where they were digging into the covers as he was scooped into the larger man’s steady hold. With his eyes clenched shut, Tim was only aware that they were moving due to the shifting air and slight rock of Bruce’s hurried stride. Their bedroom door opened, then the door to the stairwell. Bruce’s footsteps were silent as he swiftly ascended. Then another door opened. 

“Okay Tim,” Bruce said soothingly. “We’re up on the roof now. Can you open your eyes for me buddy?”

It took a few minutes for Tim to calm down, Bruce patiently coaching him through breathing patterns and soothingly running a hand through his hair. Tim sucked in the fresh air and focused on the warmth of Bruce’s chest as he leaned against the man and wrestled his brain into submission. He wasn’t there. Pru was fine. Tim was no longer alone and spiraling in grief and pain. Bruce wasn’t trapped in the time stream, he was here with Tim. Everything was fine.

Once Tim had settled, half curled into Bruce’s chest where they both sat against the side of the stair exit, there were a few minutes of quiet. Bruce continued his gentle, grounding touches, and Tim sank into his easy strength. They just coexisted together in this little pocket of privacy. Idly, Tim had to wonder whether the door they had taken to get up here had been open or if Bruce had picked the lock. He found he didn’t particularly care.

Soon enough, though, questions had to be asked. Bruce wasn’t one to ignore when one of his sons had a panic attack out of nowhere.

“Tim,” he’d started hesitantly. “What happened there buddy? Can you tell me what set that off?”

And Tim- Tim didn’t know how to put it into words. He never had, really. Bruce and all the others had been given a vague report on the months that Tim had spent alone looking for proof that Batman was alive. They knew that he had an unfortunate number of run-ins with the League of Assassins, and that he had lost his spleen, and why he had been forced to take over at WE like he did. But he had never gone into details, never tried to describe the crush of grief and loneliness, the depression, the fear and pain. Tim had locked away those feelings, to be ignored by everyone, himself included as much as he could manage.

Maybe it would be time, soon, to finally talk about that time to someone. To sort through those emotions properly. But, for now, when it was all so close to the surface, he couldn’t.

“I just- I really don’t like staying in hotels anymore,” was all he said. “I don’t really want to talk about it right now. Maybe later?”

Bruce agreed easily, pressing a feather-light kiss against Tim’s hairline.

“Alright, that’s fine kiddo. We can wait until it’s not as fresh if that’s what you want. Whenever you’re ready. For now we can just sit up here and I’ll make a few calls, okay? We’re not going to stay here if it's this stressful for you.”

Tim agreed quietly, suddenly exhausted by everything. Bruce made a few phone calls, Tim distantly following along as his father pulled some strings to get them moved into a nearby Airbnb or something at the last minute.

Once that was done, the father and son sat together on the roof, Tim wrapped in Bruce’s arms, just for a bit longer.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow look, I actually let Tim get some comfort this time! Wonder how long that's going to last... (heh). Next post will be tomorrow!


End file.
